ʿaurat , "Woman"
Published in ẓarb-e kalīm (The Blow struck by Moses) (1936).
From: kulliyāt-e iqbāl urdū (Lahore: Shaikh
Ghulam 'Ali and Sons Publishers, 1973 (and later reprints), *pp.
553-559*
These are not exactly great poems; they're here not for their literary interest but for their content. After all, it's striking that Iqbal, who throughout his intellectual life had almost nothing to say to women (or to non-Muslims), in his last volume actually created this specially titled little group of ghazals. It's easy to feel how troubled he was by the aspirations of westernized and educated women, and how he struggled to find a proper place for women in his view of society. Considering how boldly Iqbal urged (male) Muslims to reimagine and remake the world, it's surprising that he was so conservative in his views about gender roles (and apparently encountered such problems in his personal life too). These ghazals show that even near the end of his life he was unable to get beyond a vision of women as irrevocably destined to be primarily child-bearers (with a secondary role as muses and sex objects).
Urdu spellings reflect adjustments made for
the sake of the meter.
See the 'script bar' at the bottom of the page for viewing choices.
| I. European Man - = - = / - - = = / - = - = / = = |
.... | mard-e firang |
1) a thousand times the wise men have solved this, but this problem of woman has remained exactly where it was before , |
hazār bār ḥakīmoñ ne is ko suljhāyā magar yih masʾalah-e zan rahā vahīñ kā vahīñ |
|
2) there's no fault of woman in this ruination the moon and the Pleiades bear witness to her dignity |
qaṣūr zan kā nahīñ hai kuchh is ḳharābī meñ gavāh us kī sharāfat pah haiñ mah-o-parvīñ |
|
| .... | ||
3) the turmoil is manifest in European society-- that man is simple, the poor thing; he doesn't understand woman |
fasād kā hai firangī muʿāsharat meñ z̤uhūr kih mard sādah hai bechārah zan-shinās nahīñ |
|
| .... |
| II. One Question = - = = / - = - = / = = |
.... | ek savāl |
1) let someone ask the wise man of Europe, whose neck-rings [of slavery] are on India and Greece, |
koʾī pūchhe ḥakīm-e yūrap se hind-o-yūnāñ meñ jis ke ḥalqah bah gosh! |
|
2) is this the excellence of a society-- man unemployed/useless, and woman without an embrace? |
kyā yihī hai muʿāsharat kā kamāl mard be-kār aur zan tihī āġhosh? |
|
| .... |
III. Pardah |
.... | pardah |
1) the lofty sphere has greatly changed its color/style oh Lord, this world is still where it was |
bahut rang badle sipihr-e birīñ ne ḳhudā yā yih dunyā jahāñ thī vahīñ hai |
|
2) I haven't seen any difference in woman and man, that one sits in solitude, this one sits in solitude! |
tafāvut nah dekhā zan-o-shau meñ maiñ ne vuh ḳhalvat-nashīñ hai! yih ḳhalvat-nashīñ hai! |
|
| .... | ||
3) as yet the offspring of Adam are in pardah, no one's real self is manifest/known! |
abhī tak hai parde meñ aulād-e ādam kisī kī ḳhvudī āshkārā nahīñ hai! |
|
| .... |
IV. Solitude |
.... | ḳhalvat |
1) the lust for radiance/appearance has disgraced this age, the gaze is bright, the mirror of the heart is dirty |
rusvā kiyā is daur ko jalvat kī havas ne raushan hai nigah āʾinah-e dil hai mukaddar |
|
2) when the relish of sight grows beyone one's limits, thoughts become scattered and spoiled |
baṛh jātā hai jab żauq-e naz̤ar apnī ḥadoñ se ho jāte haiñ afkār parāgandah-o-abtar |
|
| .... | ||
3) the one in whose fate there is no embrace of a pearl-oyster, that drop of forgetfulness never becomes a pearl |
āġhosh-e ṣadaf jis ke naṣīboñ meñ nahīñ hai vuh qat̤rah-e nisyāñ kabhī bantā nahīñ gauhar |
|
4) in solitude the self grasps itself, but now there's no solitude available in temple or mosque! |
ḳhalvat meñ ḳhvudī hotī hai ḳhvud-gīr valekin ḳhalvat nahīñ ab der-o-ḥaram meñ bhī muyassar! |
|
| .... |
| V. Woman - = - = / - - = = / - = - = / = = |
.... | ʿaurat |
1) through the existence of woman there is color in the picture of creation, from her instrument is the inner burning of life |
vujūd-e zan se hai taṣvīr-e kāʾināt meñ rang usī ke sāz se hai zindagī kā soz-e darūñ |
|
2) in dignity her handful of dust is higher than the Pleiades, for every dignity is the lived-in pearl of that casket |
sharaf meñ baṛh ke ṡurayyā se musht-e ḳhāk us kī kih har sharaf hai usī durj kā dur-e maskūñ |
|
| .... | ||
3) she was not able to write the dialogues of Plato, but from her flame burst out the spark of Plato! |
makālamāt-e falāt̤ūñ nah likh sakī lekin usī ke shuʿle se ṭūṭā sharār-e aflāt̤ūñ! |
|
| .... |
| VI. The Freedom of Women = = - / - = = - / - = = - / - = = |
.... | āzādī-e nisvāñ |
1) I cannot make any decision in this argument, although I understand very well that this [side] is poison; that [side], sugar |
is baḥṡ kā kuchh faiṣlah maiñ kar nahīñ saktā go ḳhūb samajhtā hūñ kih yih zahr hai, vuh qand |
|
2) what's the benefit of saying something, and becoming even more vilified? already they are angry with me, the offspring of [modern] civilization |
kyā fāʾidah kuchh kah'h ke banūñ aur bhī maʿtūb pahle hī ḳhafā mujh se haiñ tahżīb ke farzand |
|
| .... | ||
3) this secret, only the insight of a woman would reveal-- they are helpless, they are [to be] excused, the men of wisdom |
is rāz ko ʿaurat kī baṣīrat hī kare fāsh majbūr haiñ maʿżūr haiñ mardān-e ḳhiradmand |
|
4) which thing is greater in adornment and value, the freedom of women, or an emerald necklace? |
kyā chīz hai ārāʾish-o-qīmat meñ ziyādah āzādī-e nisvāñ kih zumurrud kā gulū-band? |
|
| .... |
| VII. The Protection of Woman = = - / - = = - / - = = - / - = = |
.... | ʿaurat kī ḥifāz̤at |
1) a living truth/reality is hidden in my breast, how would he understand, in whose veins the blood is cold? |
ek zindah ḥaqīqat mire sīne meñ hai mastūr kyā samjhegā vuh jis kī ragoñ meñ hai lahū sard |
|
2) neither pardah nor education, whether it be new or old-- the guardian of the femininity of woman is only man |
ne pardah nah taʿlīm naʾī ho kih purānī |
|
| .... | ||
3) the community that didn't realize this living truth/reality-- that community's sun very quickly became yellow [and faded] |
jis qaum ne is zindah ḥaqīqat ko nah pāyā us qaum kā ḳhvurshīd bahut jald huʾā zard |
|
| VIII. Woman and Education = = - / - = = - / - = = - / - = = |
.... | ʿaurat aur taʿlīm |
1) if European civilization is the death of motherhood, for the presence/dignity of mankind, the fruit of this is death! |
tahżīb-e firangī hai agar marg-e umūmat hai ḥaẓrat-e insāñ ke liye is kā ṡamar maut! |
|
2) the knowledge through the effect of which woman becomes non-woman-- this knowledge, the possessors of insight call death! |
jis ʿilm kī tāṡīr se zan hotī hai nā-zan kahte haiñ isī ʿilm ko arbāb-e naz̤ar maut! |
|
| .... | ||
3) if the madrasah of woman would remain a strainger to faith, then for passion and love, knowledge and skill are death! |
begānah rahe dīñ se agar madrasah-e zan hai ʿishq-o-muḥabbat ke liye ʿilm-o-hunar maut! |
|
| .... |
| IX. Woman = - = = / - - = = / - - = = / - - = |
.... | ʿaurat |
1) the essence/quality of man is plain, without indebtedness to another, |
jauhar-e mard ʿayāñ hotā hai be-minnat-e ġhair ġhair ke hāth meñ hai jauhar-e ʿaurat kī namūd! |
|
2) of her sorrow and grief, this is the point of ardor-- her existence is fiery with the relish of creating! |
rāz hai us ke tap-e ġham kā yihī nuktah-e shauq ātishīñ lażżat-e taḳhlīq se hai us ka vujūd! |
|
| .... | ||
3) they open out through this fire, the mysteries of life, it is warm from this fire, the arena of existence and nonexistence! |
khulte jāte haiñ isī āg se asrār-e ḥayāt garm isī āg se hai maʿārikah-e būd-o-nā-būd! |
|
4) I too am very sorrowful at the oppression of women, but it's not possible, the opening of this difficult knot! |
maiñ bhī maz̤lūmī-e nisvāñ se hūñ ġham-nāk bahut nahīñ mumkin magar is ʿaqdah-e mushkil kī kushūd! |
|
| .... |
-- IQBAL index page -- *Platts Dictionary Online* -- FWP's main page --